The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1887-09-03
VOL. XXII.-NO. 46.

y Slauce III Ihe cnaTG gave MT. maItueWS
his course, and presently the bark, with
little silver curl under either bow, and the
shadow of one sail lying in dainty curve
in the hollow of another, and flashing as
of musketry breaking from the glass and
brass upon her as she leaned with the swell
to the sun, was sliding quietly southwards
with the steamer already toylike in the dis
tance and the fogbanks lifting into the haze.
No one had thought of removing the sauce
pan in the galley, and when they examined
it they found the fowl boiled into SOUP
This they threw overheard nor, had the
fowl been dressed to hair, is it conceiva-
BILE that their imagination would have suf-
fered them to put their lips to it. The
truth is, the more they turned the matter
over the more mystifying it grew. That a
handsome little bark in good trim, with
plenty to eat and drink aboard, her hold
full of valuable cargo, not drop of water
draining into her in the twenty-four hours
that such ship should be found aban-
doned, floating about as if she were no
better than timber-craft with her decks
blown up and her covering-board awash,
was strange enough, to be sure, but not SO
surprising as not to be fitted with some
kind of yarn tolerably answerable to the
circumstance. But what was to be made
of the mystery of vessel that exhibited
the most certain signs imaginable of human
life being aboard, and that was as yet as
tenantless as newly dug grave? There
was the galley fire burning, there had been
the saucepan bubbling and the fowl boil
ing, and the slush-lamp in the fOrecastle
flaming. This meant very recent work.
The slush.lamp, to be sure, might have
been alight for some hours, but the freshly
fed appearance of the fire and the saucepan
and the fowl signifed that there must have
been mortal hands at work quite latel y
undoubtedly acithin the time since the
Guide had first sighted the Ocean Star,
A boat was missing, If the crew had gone
away in her since the fire had been fed and
the fowl had been put on to cook, they
could not in so short a time have rowed out
of sight of the steamers people. Where,
then, were they? Had all hands jumped
overheard on the smoke of the Guide show
ing on the northern horizon? But theory
of general suicide would still further be-
wilder the problem of the galley fire on to
which Goals must certainly have been shov-
elled some while after the steamer had hove
into view.
One man stood at the wheel, the other
hung with tiIc second mate near him, and
they argued, ,speeulated, reasoned-to
no purpose. They took the trouble to
search the ship afresh after dinner, with no
other result than to positively confirm the
assurance their earlier seeking had obtained
for them that no living man but them
selves was on board.
"Well, sir," said the trimmer, addressing
Mr.. Matthews, az the three of them came
tegether again at the wheel, 81 don't pro-
fess to no book learning, but | knows the
difference twixt sprat and a porcupine,
and my notions this since no mans hands
made up that there fire and put the hen on
to bile, somebody else must ha done it.
"Who else ?" inquired the second mate.
The fellow gazed at him stupidity for a
minute and then said, "Well ghost"
"What'sa ghost, Billy2"asked one Ofthe
other mep,
"Something ye can't catch hold of, nor d
be able to sit upon if so be as you was to
get him down" answered the trimmer de-
family. "No use raysoning there amt no
ghosts, for scores have been seen and
spoke to; sides, if there warn't no ghosts,
there'd be no future; the futures meant foE
the likes o them. Denying of ghosts is
the same as denying of salvation.
"Haye CHESTS got any stomachs z de-
manded the second mate.
The trimmer reflected and said "No,
they can't have no stomachs if they can be
walked through" .
"Then what should ghost go and cook
a fowl for ?" said the second mate.
The trimmer made no answer, and the
subject dropped.
Long ere the dusk came the ocean had
opened in blue radiance to the far sky
The second mate went aft with the bark's
telescope to as high as the main-royal yard
but saw nothing. The speed of the vessel
was barely three miles an hour; the breeze
was languid and hot, and the burning sun,
poised rayless and huge in the western
quarter, seemed to be drying up even this
small movement of life in the atmosphere,
Indeed, when the darkness came, It fell
stark calm again. The stars, the ftful
iashipga Of phosphorus in the water over
the side, the vast oceanic hush, the soft
winnowing sounds of canvas in the dark
ness on high, like the stirring of hidden
giant pinions, were elements Of the night
scene to help whatever emotions supersti-
ton might have engendered, and even the
practical second mate felt the subduing in
auence of points which on any other occa-
sion he would have had scarce an eye or
ear for, when his mind went to the mystery
of this deserted bark. The men fatty de-
clined to use the fOrecastle.
F" "'Taint, said one of them, "that I'm
ike Billy, sir, and believes in ghosts. But
until this here traverse has been worked
out I'd rather lay on deck Them ham
mocks has an unpleasant look-and, the
vessel being desarted, who could have
lighted the fo'ksle lamp z"
They divided themselves into watches,
| and USED the caDlu W ilt III. LhcJ uiooSnSA
a rum -cask in the lazarette and made them
selves cheerful bowl, and the drink did
their imaginations good. Moreover, the
second mate helped them yet by bidding
them fix their minds on the money they
were hound to take up when the salvage
claim had been settled yet for all that they
hung together Two kept the deck while
the others lay down, and while one of the
two on duty stood at the wheel the Other
kept close beside him. The truth is, none
of them could feel certain that the ship was
empty Of all but themselves, spite of their
repeated search and this mere notion was
enough to breed uneasiness, to render the
movement Of a shadow startling, to keeE
their eyes travelling along the decks anC
up aloft !.
"What's a worritting mes this sir, sale
the trimmer. "Here's job as may nevei
be 'splained.'
"Well, l can't fit any sense to it, fol
one" answered Mr.. Matthews. ga single
corpse would have made the matter intelli
pibie; but to find the galley fire burning